Fish River Canyon is postponed for now. The 5-day hike I booked more than a year ago is off the table for the time being, not due to COVID-19 issues or visa-related issues, but due to badly straining my hip last week. For the past several days I was in so much pain that it felt like I was shot. Christo, my CouchSurfing host, allowed me to stay for a few extra days whilst I recovered. A few weeks ago I was out with my sister, Jennifer and her partner, Ryan. Ryan and I were messing around and I strained my hip flexor as a result. It took several days to heal but then I reaggravated it walking down Table Mountain. Instead of resting, I foolishly decided on going for a three-hour geocaching walk the next morning, and jumping over a small ditch is where I really hurt it.
My time isn't unlimited on this journey, and I have a lot of ground to cover so I set out despite still being in some pain. Although I've hitchhiked problem-free in dozens of countries, I've been warned about the dangers of hitchhiking in South Africa. It's not that I'm not going to do it, but I'm gonna do extra homework and use extra care whilst on the road. South Africa is so synonymous with the springbok that there's even a town named Springbok, only one hour from the border with Namibia. An InterCape bus set me back about $22 (US) and I thought I'd hitchhike the rest of the way.
A lady named Valereis stopped to fill up at the servo. I smiled, took my hat off, introduced myself, and told her my story. For a second she said her ute was too full but then she asked how much gear I had. I was able to put my travel rucksack and food bag in the back and my laptop bag at my feet. The plan was to have her either leave me at the border or drop me at the turnoff to Ai-Ais. Despite straining my hip, I was able to push back the start date by three days. Valereis just returned from visiting her daughter in New Zealand and was heading back to her farm near Swakopmund, and she advised me to join her so I could get that far. I thought about it, and then thought some more, and then...decided I'm postponing Fish River Canyon and Luderitz at least until I return from Angola. Hopefully by next month my hip will be better, and I don't want to do anything that could seriously damage it because a goal I've had for many years is to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for my 40th birthday (which is next year). When we arrived at the border, we both figured it was going to be a quick crossing and that we'd be on our way within minutes but Namibian officials decided to go through Valereis' ute with a fine-toothed comb, opening every single box and charging her duty for bringing new products into the country. Valereis was born in Namibia (then South West Africa) and holds both Namibian and South African citizenship, and they were telling her she can't bring a South African vehicle into Namibia without paying a road tax every three months. In the end we would spend an astonishing 6 1/2 hours at the border! I've always envisioned Namibia as one of the easier African countries as far as travel, visa requirements, and what you can bring in.
Upon entering Namibia, I've now been to 70 countries and territories. Along with East Timor, this year I've been to two countries that are younger than me. Having become independent in 1990, it is one of the world's youngest countries. Only 2.5 million people live here, scattered across a mass of land larger than Texas. After Mongolia, it is the world's second-most sparsely populated country. Vast open spaces, sand dunes, and majestic sunsets are the norm in this country that gets its name from the Namib Desert. The San people are Namibia's oldest indigenous inhabitants. The capital, Windhoek (pronounced "Vind-huuk") is more than a mile above sea level. After all we endured at the border, we roared down the vast open road at 160 kph. We still had half the country to traverse before reaching Valereis' farm. We stopped at Ketmanshoop for some groceries and a group of kids would try their luck at asking me to buy them something. With a sore hip I did the best I could at helping with any heavy lifting. At 4 AM, under the light of a nearly full Moon, we would finally reach the farm. I didn't stay up very long as I was out like a rock.
Valereis warned me that I was going to have my camera out a lot on the farm, and I most certainly did today. She has owned this farm for more than 40 years and knows every rock, plant, bend in the road, and grain of sand like the back of her hand. First I went to Elephant Rock.
Valereis has names for most of these rocks as they all seem to look like something. One of my favourites is a rock that looks like a cat.
Much like how a Native American chief would know every rock and tree and river bend on his land, Valereis seems to know every rock, trail bend, and grain of sand on her farm. A special place this is, for sure. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Valereis took me on a drive, and one of my favourites is a memorial plaque next to both Western and German crosses.
We are still fatigued from our respective journeys, and as we snacked on bread with homemade pesto and a cuppa, the sunset changed colour to both the rocks and the sky.
As for Fish River Canyon, it's not going anywhere. For the next couple of days I'll be exploring Jakkalswater with Valereis.
